what's the best thing to do at Nassau

[Deweysgirl]

We all went to the Pirate museum. It was an easy walk from the ship. We all enjoyed it very much. $12.00 for adults-no charge for kids. Came through the straw market on the way back to the ship and the girls bought anklets and Sponge-Bob t-shirts and DH picked up a wooden ships wheel for his den. They wanted $25.00 and he bargained down to $10.00! Woo Hoo!

Went back for lunch on board the ship then we went back out to go over to Atlantis. (4.00 per person for cab ride) We spent the afternoon at the slot machines. DH won big-well big for us! (HaHa) He hit two jackpots at $160.00 each. Not bad for a couple hours!

With a little shopping, the pirate's museum and Atlantis, we had quite an enjoyable day and our kids really enjoyed it too.

 

[Jhalkias]

I agree that you have to do it once, and form your own opinions. That being said, my wife and I stay on the ship, and have a relaxing and uncrowded day on the ship.

We did not enjoy being hassled on the streets, being asked to buy drugs (yes, my teenage son was asked, and it was probably a set-up). I also did not enjoy Atlantis as I thought it was over the top and not my cup of tea .

But once again, if it is your first cruise, you must experience it for yourself.

 

[fodc8]

The Atlantis is wonderful but do not buy the Disney excursion. Get a room at the Comfort Inn across the street for $50 bucks less than the Disney excursion (Family of 4) and use all of the Atlantis Pools, slides and beaches. The Disney excursion includes just the beach and aquarium. The Atlantis won't let you into the pools or waterpark.

 

[fortierv]

Been there twice. Bought cigar's, tasted rum, tasted a little more rum and went back to the ship.

 

[jhorstma]

Blue Lagoon! I'm not sure what Disney's charging to get you there, but it's a very pleasant way to have a tropical beach day. DW and I did it 5 years ago on an anniversary cruise (not with Disney ) and didn't have to venture far from the ship to catch the excursion ferry to the island.

As for Nassau itself, other posters are right - you'll have to slog thru a bunch of aggressive locals to get into town, and once there it isn't too pretty.

 

[lbastida1]

We booked a room at the Atlantis Paradise Resort (www.atlantis.com) when we cruised 10/01 (just after 911).

We figured it was worth it for the price because it's like going to a waterpark on the beach. I think Wet N Wild is around $40 per person so we justified the cost that way. Check out the website and see all the great water rides, pools, aquariums and beaches they have. If you don't book a room then you can't use the pools/slides etc. I've heard other people get a room at the Comfort Suites right next door for a lot less. Comfort Suites has a deal with Atlantis to let the Comfort Suites guests use the Atlantis facilities.

We booked the cheapest Atlantis room we could get but ended up getting a major upgrade to the main building with an ocean view. Since it was just after 9/11/01, they were basically empty.

My kids LOVED the slides, the aquariums, the beach and pools. There is a height requirement on some of the slides. Check out the website to see which ones.

If you do the Disney excursion to Atlantis it does NOT cover the slides or pools. One thing we did not do is check to see if the Atlantis has a "day rate". Some hotels will do this for people who don't need the room all night. The Comfort Suites may also have a day rate. I don't know.

I'd go to the Atlantis resort again in a heartbeat. It's incredible. It IS expensive but it's one of the best resorts in the world. We thought it was well worth it. My kids still talk about it to this day.

By the way, you can get a cab to the Atlantis right off the dock. I don't remember how much it was but it wasn't outrageous.

Hope this helped.

 

[antmaril]

We will be on the Wonder in February, 2005. We plan to stay on the ship and pretend it is a day at sea.

I have no desire to visit Nassau (we were there once many years ago). We will just relax on the ship that day.

 

[spectromagic fan]

We went on our first cruise in July, and I guess we're in the minority, because we enjoyed Nassau. We were there on a national holiday (7/12/04), so a lot of the shops, etc., were closed. My DH & I went on the Atlantis tour and we enjoyed it. After the tour, we spent some time in the casino before returning to the ship. Our adult DS and DGS (age 13) went on the catamaran and snorkeling excursion, and they enjoyed that too. After our excursions our DGS went to the teen lounge for the rest of the afternoon and the rest of us walked around Nassau. That night our DGS went on the teen junkanoo. He said he had a good time. We adults returned to the ship in time to go to the show and dinner. DGS joined us after his evening execursion. We loved the big deck party that night. Many people didn't even realize we were leaving port. The national holiday might have kept the locals from bombarding us to buy things, etc. We were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed the day. While on the ship (before the show) we enjoyed watching the water planes take off and land, and we loved the view of the city from our veranda. It was a good day for us.

 

[rodriged]

Has anyone participated in this excursion and if so, how did you like it? We will be on the 9/26 Wonder cruise with our DD4.5 and am anticipating CC possibly not being available by then. We thought this excursion sounded the best for her age. Still, we will consider the other wonderful opinions here of either the Cable Beach or looking for a day room at Atlantis or the Comfort Suites.

 

[dzneprincess]

Has anyone done DCLs Catamaran sail and Snorkel? Any reviews or feedback? I was contemplating this one for our cruise this weekend.